Hill's Pet Nutrition Weight Care Program
Hill's Pet Nutrition Weight Care Program
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Our Team

Faculty

Dr. Adronie Verbrugghe, DVM, PhD, Dip ECVCN
Associate Professor

Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition

Dr. Adronie Verbrugghe graduated as a companion animal veterinarian (DVM) from Ghent University, Belgium in 2005. She completed her PhD focusing on nutritional modulation of carbohydrate metabolism in cats in 2009. She became a European Veterinary Specialist™ in Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition after completing a residency and board certifying exam for the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition in 2010. In 2011, Dr. Verbrugghe joined the Department of Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College (OVC), University of Guelph, as Royal Canin Veterinary Diets Endowed Chair in Canine and Feline Clinical Nutrition. Dr. Verbrugghe’s academic responsibilities at OVC include the development and teaching of the small animal clinical nutrition curriculum for the DVM program. In 2019, she was awarded a Research Excellence Award from the University of Guelph. Her research interests include companion animal nutrition, the link between nutrition, gut microbiota, health and disease, alteration of metabolic pathways through nutrition and nutritional modulation of inflammation and immunity.

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Dr. Sarah Abood, DVM, PhD
Associate Professor

Nestle Purina Professorship in Companion Animal Nutrition

Dr. Sarah Abood is a veterinary nutritionist and educator who originally came to the Ontario Veterinary College in 2018 for a short-term contract. She was able to return in Nov. 2023 and is glad to be teaching nutrition and running the OVC Clinical Nutrition Service. Prior to 2018, Dr. Abood served as Assistant Dean of Student Programs at Michigan State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. During her 16 years at MSU she taught small animal nutrition, communication skills, veterinary ethics, and veterinary leadership. In 2009, she started her own consulting company, called Sit, Stay, Speak Nutrition. In the mid-1990s, Dr. Abood worked in Research and Development at Ralston Purina. Her formal training began at Michigan State University (BS, DVM), followed by a large animal rotating internship at the University of Minnesota, and the completion of her nutrition residency and PhD at The Ohio State University.

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Registered Veterinary Technicians

Shoshana Verton-Shaw, RVT, VTS (Nutrition), RLAT

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Coordinator

Shoshana graduated from the Veterinary Technology program at University of Guelph, Ridgetown Campus with honours and as the recipient of the Award for Proficiency in Canine and Feline Nutrition in 2007. She became the first Registered Veterinary Technician in Ontario to achieve her Veterinary Technician Specialty in Nutrition in 2015 and has been active with the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians since. In 2024, furthering her dedication to scientific advancements in veterinary medicine, Shoshana successfully achieved her Registered Laboratory Animal Technician certification with the Canadian Association of Laboratory Animal Science. Shoshana enjoys sharing and igniting a passion for veterinary nutrition in her peers, with a special interest in canine and feline obesity management. Along with her dogs, Kinetic, Iron and Radon, Shoshana is an active member of the German Shepherd Schutzhund Club of Canada, T.O.P. Working Dog Club, and the Kitchener-Waterloo German Shepherd Club.

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Becky Hunt, RVT, VTS (Nutrition)

Hill’s Pet Nutrition Veterinary Technician

Becky graduated from the Veterinary Technician program at Seneca College in 2016. After working in a small animal practice for a few years, she fell in love with preventative medicine and nutrition. This passion led her to pursue her Veterinary Technician Speciality in Nutrition and became a member of the Academy of Veterinary Nutrition Technicians in 2023. When she is not working with pet parents on all thing’s nutrition related, you can find her on the trails hiking in places with her dog Nova, while her tuxedo cat lounges at home.

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Veterinarians

Dr. Manuela Fischer, MV, MSc, PhD

DVSc Candidate (Department of Clinical Studies), ECVCN Resident

Dr. Manuela Fischer obtained her Veterinary degree (MV) in Brazil in 2008. Her interest in pet nutrition began while in vet school, when she had the opportunity to visit a pet food facility. Her MSc thesis focused on the effects of different fiber sources on energy and macronutrient digestibility, fermentation product formation, postprandial metabolite responses and colon histology of overweight cats. One of her PhD research projects was carried out at UCDavis. She completed her PhD focusing on faecal microbiota and it’s relation with obesity, energy restriction and neutering in 2015. From 2015 to 2023, she worked as a graduate professor, consultant for pet food industries and as a veterinary nutritionist in a small animal clinic. In her spare time, Manuela loves being with her husband, daughter and dog, and enjoys going out to see new places.

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Dr. Zahra Rahimi, DVM, PhD

Hills Pet Nutrition Intern

Dr. Zahra Sadat Rahimi joined our team in January, 2025 accepting the Hill’s Pet Weight Care Program Internship. Zahra has been a veterinarian (DVM) since 2009 and she also completed her PhD in Animal Feed Health in 2017. During her 14 years of experience, she made significant contributions to the fields of veterinary medicine, animal nutrition, feed and food safety.

Her research interests include companion animal nutrition, clinical nutrition to health, supplements, nutraceuticals , and the relationship between nutrient bioavailability and animal health. In addition, she is deeply committed to environmental health and safety, advocating for sustainable and science-based approaches to animal nutrition.

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Dr. Laura Teeger, DVM, CVA

DVSc Candidate (Department of Clinical Studies), ECVCN Candidate

Laura earned her DVM degree from Ross University in 2020 and spent nearly five years in small animal general practice, where her interest in veterinary nutrition grew into a true passion. She joined the Clinical Nutrition Team at OVC in January 2025 to pursue her Doctor Veterinary Sciences degree (DVSc) in Clinical Studies and Residency for the European College of Veterinary and Comparative Nutrition (ECVCN). Her research focuses on the physiologic and metabolomic effects of choline in cats, particularly those that are overweight or obese. Outside of veterinary medicine, Laura enjoys snowboarding, crafting, playing cozy video games, and wildlife photography. She also has a cat named Po and a special interest in exotic companion mammals, such as rabbits and guinea pigs.    

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Rehabilitation

The OVC Fitness and Rehabilitation Clinic offers optional rehabilitation assessments to our weight care patients. Rehabilitation promotes a faster and safer return to function following injury or surgery and will assist in building, maintaining and preventing loss of muscle mass. Rehabilitation promotes cartilage and joint health, range of motion and maintenance of bone density.